The Lost Episode Job
by Late For The Sky
Summary: The Leverage team has to pull a job on an enterprising media mogul/game show host. Eliot and Parker play the part of an engaged couple competing on the game show. HDM/Leverage fusion. Written for the AU Big Bang challenge over on LJ.
1. Part One

The sounds of Eliot, Parker, and Hardison's soft chatter filled the offices of Leverage Consulting and flowed around Nate as he and his raccoon dæmon Liandra waited for their next potential client to arrive. The clicking of heels made Nate look up, just in time to see Sophie arriving in the conference room, her parakeet dæmon Tavi perched as usual on her left shoulder. Nate took a sip of his alcohol-laced coffee as Sophie sat down, her hair elegantly coiffed and her clothes neat and tidy as they always were.

'Keaton isn't here yet, I see,' Sophie said as she set her mug of tea down on the table.

'He should be here soon,' Nate replied. 'I told him to meet us at half-past three, and it's only twenty-five after.'

'True,' Sophie conceded. She settled back into her chair, Tavi switching his perch to the back of the seat. He ruffled his vibrantly-colored feathers gently as he made himself comfortable, brushing his beak over one of his wings a few times out of habit. Liandra briefly looked up at him, but soon returned her attention to the bowl of pistachios she had been unshelling, her clever paws splitting the tough coverings and revealing the salty nuts within. Occasionally she would hand one up to Tavi, who would take it gently out of her paw and eat it daintily, trying to avoid getting crumbs all over Sophie.

Nate watched the wordless exchanges, a slight smile quirking one of the corners of his mouth, before he caught sight of a nervous-looking man. He was making his way towards Nate and Sophie. Hardison escorted the man, who seemed to be in his mid-thirties, through the front of the office. The newcomer had a greyhound dæmon, whose sleek form stayed close to her human as he limped towards the conference room, using a dark wood cane to aide his irregular gait.

'Mr. Keaton?' Sophie asked politely. The man nodded in confirmation as he sat down across from Nate and Sophie. Hardison left them to talk in private, his squirrel dæmon Qelseth clinging to his shoulder as he walked.

Keaton's dæmon leaned against his legs, watching Nate and Sophie warily. Keaton turned his head towards Sophie, his green eyes focusing on her brown ones.

'I prefer Ian, if you don't mind,' he said, giving her a hesitant smile.

'Of course.' Sophie paused, and then asked, 'Are you feeling all right?'

Ian's smile turned wry. 'I'm fine, health-wise. My left leg doesn't work so well, but it happened a long time ago, back when I was a kid.'

'How can we help you, Ian?' Nate asked.

'It all started about two months ago. There's a corrective surgery that's supposed to be able to fix my leg enough that I'd be able to walk without a cane. I checked with my doctors, and they said that my insurance would be able to take care of most of the cost. I was supposed to get the surgery done six weeks ago, but my employer at the time, Dyton Media, wouldn't let me have the time off. Two weeks later, I got let go. According to the paperwork, it was because of down-sizing, but since no one else was let go, I highly doubt that was the real reason.

'That job -I was one of the crew that helped to clean up after a game show that they do- it was one of the best jobs I've ever had, especially considering my disability. I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else, Mr. Ford.'

Sophie and Nate exchanged glances, and then Nate leaned forwards slightly.

'Don't worry, Ian. We'll make sure it won't.'

'Right, so- Dyton Media.' Hardison began a few hours later, cuing up his preliminary report on the wall of monitors in the conference room, 'headed by Jonas Dyton, who's also the main host of their newest and most popular action-y game show, _Dare to Win_.'

'"Action-y"?' Eliot asked, smirking.

'Hey, you wanna give the report? Anyways, the premise is that six couples have to do a series of tasks that get increasingly harder as each of four stages test different facets of their abilities. It's got the normal game show style - live audience, chirpy co-host, crazy tasks,- stuff like that. The grand prize is fifty thousand dollars. Thing is, no one's ever won it.'

'Why not?' Parker leaned forwards, looking highly interested.

'The final task always changes, and it's insanely hard. There's massive speculation on the online message boards about if the game's even possible to win. However, _I _know the real reason.'

'And that would be?'

'Dyton can't afford for anyone to win,' Hardison explained, bringing up images of Dyton's bank statements, among other financial records. 'The show's barely making enough to cover running and employment costs, let alone pay out fifty thousand dollars. The final task is designed to be damn near impossible to beat- or, at least, it is for the normal Joe Public. From what I can tell, the higher ups are starting to get antsy about the profitability of continuing the show. There've been some nasty memos and e-mails going back and forth between Dyton and his corporate financiers, not to mention phone calls and-'

'That's it,' Nate interrupted.

'Sorry?'

'That's our angle to get in.' He got to his feet, the familiar look of a new plan coming to fruition settling on his face. 'Hardison, how quickly can you get your hands on a high-end TV camera?'

'I'll have to call one of my friends who's into that sort of thing, but other than that, pretty easily. Why?' Hardison asked, looking intrigued.

'Because we're going to give the world an all-access pass to the inner workings of Dyton Media and _Dare to Win_. Let's go steal a game show.'


	2. Part Two

Jonas Dyton wasn't having a good day. It seemed like everything that could go wrong had, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. The techs were having problems getting the tasks set up for the next show, his co-host was having a mini-meltdown and had barricaded herself in the green room, and to top it all off, one of the couples who had been scheduled to appear on _Dare to Win _had called and canceled on account of winning a free all-expenses paid cruise to the Bahamas. Jonas supposed he couldn't fault them for taking the opportunity when it came, but still, he'd much prefer if they'd waited until taping was over before going on their cruise.

'I'm sure we'll find someone, Jonas,' His badger dæmon, Nandi, said. 'Derrick's looking over the list of candidates, so hopefully-'

She was cut off by the sound of someone knocking at the door of the office. 'Come in,' Jonas called. The door opened, revealing Jonas' personal assistant, Kelly Sanchez, and her Tokay gecko dæmon, who was in his customary spot, peeking out of the shoulder bag Kelly constantly kept on her person.

'Mr. Dyton?' she said, giving him a quick smile.

'Yes, Kelly?'

'You've got some visitors waiting for you in the lobby,' she told him, looking excited. 'They said they're here to film a documentary.'

'About what?' Jonas asked, getting to his feet and rounding his desk.

'Us, I think. Or at least, _Dare to Win_,' she said as Jonas exited his office. 'This could be the break we've been looking for.'

'We'll see. The lobby, you said?'

'Yes, sir.'

'All right. Let's go meet these people.'

Sophie and Nate stood in the center of the lobby. Nate was dressed sharply in a suit and fedora, calling to mind the image of a 1950's businessman. He managed to pull it off somehow, and Sophie thought that it was a good look for him. She herself wore a skirt and blouse that were both tasteful yet alluring. Parker, Hardison, and Eliot were scattered around the lobby; Hardison was fiddling with the laptop he'd brought along, playing around with the faux website he'd set up as part of their cover, Qelseth giving him coding advice when she thought it necessary. The red-furred squirrel dæmon would even occasionally type in a line or two of code, her tiny paws flashing over the computer's keyboard. Eliot was looking at some of the framed posters that hung on the walls, while Parker stood nearby, looking around the room and figuring out the various ways she could break in and out of the building. Eliot could hear her muttering softly to Rincalion, and occasionally the surprisingly deep-voiced replies of the tiny junco dæmon as he weighed in with his own opinions.

He smiled, amused at the ever-odd habits of his petite teammate. Every member of the team had his or her own little quirks, but Parker seemed to have the most. Or maybe, Eliot reflected as he turned to check on Hardison, she had the most visible out of all of them, when compared to Hardison's habit of carrying a worry stone that his Nanna had given him in one of his pockets or Eliot's own ritual of cleaning his kitchen knives in a specific order, regardless of whether or not they'd been used that day. Eliot's thoughts were disturbed by the appearance of Dyton, who was accompanied by his personal assistant.

'Parker,' Eliot murmured, knowing that the thief could hear him over the coms, even if she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, people-wise. She wandered over to him, idly slipping one of her hands into his. This startled Eliot for a moment -a rare occurrence, but the fact that Parker seldom initiated casual physical contact seemed like a reasonable excuse- until he remembered the roles he and Parker were playing in the con. They were to take the place of the Rockworths who had, through Hardison's computer wizardry, won an all-expenses paid cruise to the Caribbean from a local classical music station. It had been easy enough for Hardison to hack into the station's computers and have the supposedly random selection spit out the Rockworths' names, and the newly-engaged couple had jumped at the chance for a romantic getaway somewhere tropical.

'Ah, you must be Mr. Dyton.' Nate said with a bright grin and a moderate Brooklyn accent flavoring his words. 'I'm David Wolfe, and this is Helen DuBois. We're with Endurance Enterprises, and we've come to make you an offer that'll bring quite a bit of attention to your game show. More, of course, than what it already had,' Nate produced a business card from an inner jacket pocket and handed it to Dyton with another toothy smile.

'Really. And what, exactly, is this offer of yours?' Dyton asked, looking wary.

'A documentary about the inner workings of game shows.' Sophie told him. 'We'd be mainly focusing on the various contestants and what their thoughts are on participating in a show like yours, but we were thinking of doing a few behind-the-scenes interviews with some of the crew members. Of course, if that's all right with you.'

'Hmm. That _does_ sound interesting.' Dyton said, looking thoughtful. 'Tell you what; why don't we go to my office and talk this over in private?'

'Sounds great. Is it okay if some of our crew wanders around a bit?' Nate asked, gesturing at Eliot, Parker, and Hardison. Hardison looked up from the laptop and gave Nate and the others a cheery wave before returning his attention to the screen. Eliot simply nodded in recognition, gently pulling Parker a little closer to him until she was nestled comfortably against his side. Parker slipped her free arm around his waist, relaxing casually against him. Rincalion was sitting on Kyrael's head, one of his favorite places to perch on the much larger cougar dæmon when Eliot and Parker were in close proximity.

'Who're they?' Dyton asked, tilting his head slightly in Eliot and Parker's direction.

'That's Eli Keaton and Penny Roberts, our assistants. They just got engaged last month.' Sophie said nonchalantly.

'Really? Interesting. Have them wait here while we walk in my office.' Dyton said. 'I think we can work something out that'll be beneficial to all of us.'

'Sounds great,' Nate grinned. He turned to look at the others and nodded. 'We'll be back soon, guys. Stick around, and don't get in trouble.'

Hardison gave a vague wave in acknowledgment of Nate's words, not looking up from the website editing program he was still focusing on. Nate and Sophie left with Dyton - Dyton's assistant got called away by one of the crew members, who had come up to her and muttered in her ear. The three remaining members of the Leverage team were left waiting in the lobby.

Parker kept close to Eliot as she watched Nate and Sophie leave with Dyton, and even after the three were out of view.

'You can let go now, if you want to.' Eliot told her.

She shrugged, not really caring. She probably would've moved if it had been anyone other than Eliot, but something about him made her feel comfortable, and most importantly, _safe_. That was a rare occurrence for Parker, especially around members of the opposite sex. It wasn't as if she'd had a horrific experience with a man in her past or anything of that sort; it was just that unless a man could really capture her attention and didn't put her off or make her feel uncomfortable, she didn't bother with paying much attention to little details, like physical contact.

'I'm good,' Parker told Eliot, though she did relax a little more now that they didn't have to show off for the mark. Eliot shook his head slightly, an amused smile flickering across his lips. He guided her towards the seats where Hardison was located; it'd be easier to know what was going on if they stayed together and didn't have to depend solely on the sometimes unreliable com sets. They could hear Nate and Sophie carefully reeling in Dyton over the coms, playing on the man's innate greed, his desire to get more publicity for his game show, and his hope to even grab the attention of some of the big-name networks.

'So, where would this documentary of yours air initially?' Dyton asked, looking from Sophie to Nate and back again. 'And how soon?'

'That's the exciting part,' Nate said. 'Our camera is a Red One system, which doesn't bother with traditional film. It's all digital and goes directly to the computer, where it can be edited on the spot if absolutely necessary. It'd probably be ready within a few days of wrapping up filming if we work 'round the clock. And for you, we would.' Hardison was feeding him the technical aspects through the com, and Nate was doing his best to keep his pace and tone natural as he repeated what he was being told without dropping the accent he was affecting.

'As for where it'd air, we have a few choices, including your own station. We've also got the option of the internet, which would reach a far larger audience than local stations. That's the beauty of our camera system; it's top of the line, and its quality is consistent across most, if not all viewing platforms.' he continued on, illustrating his words with a series of animated hand movements. Once he finished, Nate settled back in his chair, watching Dyton mull over what he'd been told.

'And what would you get out of this, if I agreed to it?' he asked.

'Fifteen percent of all gross proceeds,' Sophie told him. 'Most of our shows are subscription based through our website, so we're not lacking in revenue streams,' she said smoothly. 'I think that an eighty-five percent cut of the proceeds on your side is more than reasonable, Mr. Dyton.'

'It does. Well, I think we have a deal,' Dyton said with a smile. 'Bring me any paperwork you need me to look over, and we can get started. Oh, I nearly forgot. You said your assistants are engaged?'

'Yes, we did.'

'Well, I'm in a bit of a bind. One of the couples that was supposed to compete on _Dare to Win_ dropped out at the last minute. What would you say to having your people participate in the show, as an added bonus?'

Nate and Sophie exchanged glances once again, Nate fighting to keep a celebratory smile off his face. 'We'd have to ask, but I don't think Penny or Eli will mind. They're both big fans of your show.' Nate said, getting to his feet. 'It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Dyton.' He extended a hand, which Dyton shook briskly.

'And with you. I'll tell Kelly to outfit your crew with the proper access badges. Wouldn't want you to get thrown out by security.' Dyton chuckled, and Nate and Sophie dutifully laughed along with him as they left the office. Dyton shut the door behind them.

Nate and Sophie returned to the lobby, where Nate let the gregarious personality of David Wolfe fade away. He resumed his normal light Boston accent once they were out of earshot of Dyton's office.

'That went well,' he said to Sophie as they walked.

'He did seem eager once we told him what his cut of the profits would be,' she replied.

'I don't know,' Tavi commented, ruffling his neck feathers idly as he spoke, a habit of his that became more pronounced the deeper into thought he went. 'His dæmon didn't seem all that impressed.'

'Well, let's hope that's not a problem,' Liandra said as she walked along next to Nate. 'We'll have to keep an eye on her, just in case.'

'Mm.'

Hardison spotted Nate and Sophie first, happening to glance up from his computer. He was currently playing Bejeweled, since he had finished with his web work. He nudged Eliot, who had been quietly talking with Parker about some of his favorite Thai restaurants in the area near the team's offices. Eliot had recently taken to trying to expose Parker to more types of food beyond simply pizza, cereal, and the occasional frozen pre-packaged meal. It appeared to be working; at the very least, Parker seemed to be making bolder choices when the team ordered take-out.

'How'd it go?' Parker asked, acting as if she hadn't been able to hear what was going on over the coms, but had rather been paying more attention to her and Eliot's conversation.

'We're in,' Sophie announced. 'We just need to draw up some paperwork that'll pass muster, and then we've got the run of the place.'

'He fall for Parker and Eliot being a couple?' Hardison asked, picking up the bag that now held his laptop and trying to keep the slightly jealous tone out of his voice.

'He did,' Nate affirmed. 'Let's get back to the offices; I have a feeling Dyton's going to do some research on Endurance Enterprises.'

'I've already got a website running,' Hardison said, getting to his feet and following the others out of the studio building. 'It should do okay until I get back and upload some more videos.'

'What sort of videos do you have up now?' Eliot unlocked the van, tossing the keys to Nate after he'd done so.

'Just previews of upcoming shows for right now. I might have to call a few people I know to help knock together a quick ten minute clip, since Dyton knows all of our faces.'

'Make sure that when you do, it's some sort of action or crime drama show,' Nate said. 'Those are usually the big sellers on the major networks.'

'Got it.'


	3. Part Three

Eliot sat in the conference room, Kyrael lounging comfortably on the floor at his feet. Hardison had told Eliot to wait for him here, because he had something Eliot should see. Figuring that it would probably be best to go along with whatever the hacker had planned, Eliot had first grabbed a drink from the small kitchenette that served as the team's break-room and then had made his way here.

He'd been waiting for about ten minutes when Parker wandered in, holding a large bowl of popcorn and still wearing the fake engagement ring she'd put on before the team had headed over to Dyton Media. The thought that the simple diamond and red gold solitaire- not too big of a diamond, but noticeable enough- looked good on Parker, and how he vaguely wished the engagement was for real, passed across Eliot's mind, but he soon banished the thought. In his experience, romantic entanglements between co-workers rarely worked out well, not to mention the fact that as two known criminals, they'd made enemies over the years- Eliot more than Parker- but still, having a known weakness was never good. That went double if your weakness was another person.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave Parker a friendly nod in greeting.

'What's with the popcorn, Parker?' he asked as Parker sat down in a nearby chair, Rincalion perched as usual on her shoulder.

'Hardison said we're going to be watching some videos, so I thought popcorn would be appropriate. Want some?' She nudged the bowl towards him after taking a large handful for herself. A half-smile quirked his lips as he took some of the salty and buttery snack; trust Parker to treat what was likely going to be research about their latest job as something fun.

Hardison showed up soon after, snagging some popcorn before putting a DVD in the player and queuing it up to play. A vaguely obnoxious theme song emerged from the speakers as Hardison sat down, Qelseth contentedly munching on a piece of popcorn she had stolen from Hardison's small stash.

'Okay, so there's three main tasks that test you on a specific area of expertise- physical, mental, and teamwork. The first task's always the mental one, and then the physical, followed by the teamwork task. The final and fourth task is supposed to test you on all three.' Hardison paused the DVD to explain further. 'Most of the couples who are eliminated lose because they either can't complete the task in time or are disqualified for breaking a rule. Each task is designed with all of the contestants' dæmons in mind, so that at least one member of each team can complete the task without worrying about their dæmon not being able to keep up due to physical limitations, like not being able to fly, swim, or jump far.'

'Good to know,' Eliot mused.

'What sort of things do they do in the intellectual test?' Parker asked.

'It depends. There've been mazes, puzzles- all sorts of stuff, really.' Hardison started the DVD back up again, fast forwarding a bit until he reached the first task of the episode. The six couples had to navigate a complicated maze of corridors, avoiding pitfalls, dead-ends, and other confining traps. Two couples were eliminated at the end of the fifteen-minute long time slot; one for failing to complete the task in time, even though they were on the right track to getting out, and the other for falling into a foam-block cushioned pit. The woman's beagle dæmon had accidentally triggered the opening of the trap and blithely led his human into the six-foot deep pit before realizing what he'd done. The woman's partner had tried to get his girlfriend out of the pit, but hadn't quite been able to reach her without risking falling in himself, and had therefore not finished on time.

'Next up is the physical test,' Hardison said, grinning. 'This is my favorite part. It's usually something crazy.'

'Ooh, fun!' Parker said, looking excited. Eliot couldn't help but laugh softly as the physical task began, enjoying Parker's enthusiasm. He watched as the remaining couples ran through an obstacle course, and found himself mentally comparing the players' strategies of getting through the course to what he would do in their place. He figured that a combination of pure speed and agility would maximize the chances of getting through the course with the best time and score. It was easy enough that he knew he and Parker would have no trouble conquering a course like that, and Eliot felt confident that the physical portion of the tasks would be the least of their problems.

Once again, there was an elimination round; this time, though, only one couple was cut from the running. After a short commercial break, through which Hardison fast-forwarded, the teamwork portion of the episode started. Each of the three remaining couples had to work together with their partners in a sort of modified three-legged race. Any falls that brought down both partners would automatically count as grounds for elimination. At the end of the round, only two couples had managed to stay upright; the third couple had tripped early on and had been relegated to watching from the sidelines.

'And now, the final task!' the announcer proclaimed, his cheery voice booming from the TV. The camera panned over to what looked like a climbing wall; simple enough, but then the camera zoomed in to reveal two things: first, many of the various handholds dotting the surface of the wall looked precariously loose; and secondly, there were two large water cannons situated ten feet away from the base of the wall. The person with the smallest dæmon in each couple (one had a robin, while the other had a mouse) was outfitted with a climbing harness, complete with professional belayer and safety rope, while the other member of the couple was seated at the water cannon belonging to their team.

The object of the task was simple: reach the top. However, the climbers were hampered by the water cannons, which were able to swivel just far enough to follow them wherever they might go, and by the potentially unstable climbing surface. From Eliot's point of view, the best strategy was to bring the full force of the water cannon onto the operator of your rivals' cannon, thereby taking them out of commission and leaving your partner to climb mostly unhindered. Unfortunately, the teams on the episode obviously hadn't even considered that strategy, and concentrated their efforts on taking out the other team's climber.

'Oh, come on! Even _Sterling_ would know that's a stupid strategy!' Parker snorted as the Blue Team- each couple was classified by color- and the Green Team managed to take out one another's climbers simultaneously, thereby losing the game at exactly the same moment.

'The people who made the task counted on the players going with the most obvious strategy- taking out one another's climbers,' Eliot said, shaking his head in vague annoyance. 'If they'd taken out one another's gunners, then one of the climbers would've probably had a fighting chance, shaky handholds or not. It's what I would've done.'

'Exactly,' Hardison agreed. 'Of course, the task designers would never expect someone with your set of skills to get on the show, much less get through the tasks. They take ordinary people who have no idea what to do and pit them against one another. It's one of the main draws of the show. Then again, it always looks different when you're sitting on the couch at home than when you're actually _doing_ the tasks.'

'Well, yeah, but I've done things a lot harder than what's on this show,' Parker said, stretching gently as the credits ended and the DVD cycled back to the main menu. 'I've broken into skyscrapers harder to get up – and back down - than that climbing wall. A little water and dodgy handholds are a piece of cake compared to the high winds, hail, and rain I've had to deal with over the years.'

'Most people don't have those skills, Parker.' Eliot said.

'Which is why the two of you should do perfectly fine.'

The three turned to see Nate standing in the doorway of the conference room, backlit against the wall of the hall outside. 'You possess skills that will enable you to get through the tasks with ease. In fact, you'll probably have to ease up a little bit and make a few mistakes here and there, just so you don't attract any suspicion. Also, you'll have another advantage the others won't. Hardison will be your eye-in-the-sky, so to speak.'

'So we're not going to do this all on our own?'

'Not entirely. Hardison'll be providing the occasional assist, but for the most part, you'll have to figure it out on your own.' Nate grinned, a wicked slant to his smile that didn't appear often; when it did, however, the others had quickly learned to be on guard. 'Can't have you being suspected of cheating, now can we? Besides, it'll be more fun that way.'

'Fun,' Eliot said flatly, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. 'Right. When do we start shooting?'

'Tomorrow,' Nate told them. 'We'll be picking up our badges at the security booth at ten o clock in the morning. Hardison, did you manage to contact our camera man?'

Hardison nodded. 'Yeah. Bastian will meet us here with the camera, and I'll handle the computer work from the control room. I'll be able to tap into the mainframe from there, so that way all the footage will go directly to us.'

'Won't the usual controllers be able to tell they're not actually getting the footage?' Parker asked.

'Nah,' Hardison said with a dismissive wave of a hand. 'It'll be easy to spoof it. They'll see it on their monitors, but they won't actually be recording anything. Any and all footage will be recorded to a high-capacity portable backup hard drive I'll be bringing along with me. I'll say it's necessary for our camera system.'

'Good. Finish up here, guys, and then get some sleep. You've got to be ready to get up and go in the morning. You two especially.' Nate looked at Parker and Eliot meaningfully. 'We don't want you to be falling asleep on the job.'

'Like that's ever happened,' Eliot scoffed but got up from his seat. Kyrael got to her feet as well, stretching languorously as she stood up.

'There's always a first time for everything,' Hardison noted, scooping up Qelseth from the table before heading out of the room. Eliot rolled his eyes, walking out of the room once Parker had passed him, carrying the now almost empty bowl of popcorn. The morning would bring its own challenges, both literally and metaphorically, so he reluctantly made his way out of the offices and to his truck, intent on making his way home.

The team met bright and early at the offices. Hardison's friend Bastian arrived a few minutes before they were scheduled to leave for Dyton Media and its associated filming studios; he was a talkative Pennsylvanian transplant, wishing everyone a good morning while his ferret dæmon poked her head out of one of the many pockets on his vest jacket, most of which had various electronic cables and camera-related paraphernalia hanging out of or clipped to them.

'Does he actually use all that stuff?' Eliot muttered to Hardison as they made their way to the van they'd purchased specially for the con. Eliot took his usual place closest to the back, as he had the largest dæmon and therefore needed the most room, which meant that Kyrael was essentially sitting in the "trunk" of the van. When he was in his truck, Kyrael simply sat or lay on the back seat, as Eliot had made sure to purchase one with an extended cab.

'Surprisingly, yeah, he does. You should see him when he's actually working. Normally, he's got more cables than the Borg Queen on a bad hair day.' Hardison chuckled as everyone save for Nate and Sophie got into the van. The two older members of the team were taking Nate's Tesla Roadster in order to maintain their cover as bigwig media producers. The flashy red convertible pulled out of the parking lot, the sound of Sophie's laughter briefly audible through the open driver's window of the van before the car was lost to sight in the early morning Los Angeles traffic.

Hardison started the van and drove after them, arriving at Dyton Media some twenty minutes later. Sophie and Nate were waiting for them in the lobby, Dyton and his assistant making small talk as they waited.

'Ah, there they are,' Nate said, catching sight of the others entering the building. 'Jake, you and Tyler set up in the control room; Eli, Penny, you'll need to go with Kelly. She'll be talking you through what you have to do and then taking you to makeup.'

'Y'all have to wear makeup?' Hardison smirked, looking as if he was about to crack up. Eliot ignored him, casually taking one of Parker's hands before following Kelly deeper into the studio.

'Okay, so, you've seen the show before, right?' Kelly asked as they walked.

'Yep,' Parker said, nodding brightly.

'Good, so you know what's going to happen, then. That makes my job easier.' Kelly led them into a small room with a few chairs scattered about its perimeter. The seats were placed in front of brightly-lit mirrors, the better for the makeup artists to see what they were doing.

The head makeup artist was waiting for them, while his assistants helping to finish up the other contestants. Parker and Eliot took the seats they were told to, Eliot keeping an eye on Parker via the reflection of the mirror he was sat in front of. Thanks to Sophie, who had often helped the blonde thief with some of the more sophisticated makeup needs for various jobs, Parker was used to having someone do her makeup for her, even though as a rule, she didn't tend to wear too much beyond some foundation and perhaps some lip gloss. It was one of the things Eliot liked about her; she was refreshingly unconcerned about her appearance, in that she didn't feel like she needed to hide her natural beauty with layers upon layers of blush, eyeshadow, and other cosmetics.

For his own makeup, Eliot received a light layer of foundation, some blush that nearly matched his skin tone ("Just to lighten you up a bit", the makeup artist told him with a smile), and clear lip gloss. It was kind of weird, the lip gloss, but he soon got used to it. Parker got a similar treatment, though her makeup was a bit brighter- the blush slightly pinker, the lip gloss tinted a light rose - and was soon finished. For the final touch, they were given grooming tools specially made for their kind of dæmons and told to give Kyrael and Rincalion a once-over.

When they were finally finished with all the cosmetic preparations, Eliot, Parker, and the rest of the contestants were herded into a small room that was charitably called the green room. Its walls were actually a sort of yellow color, and a faded one at that; it must just be another of those weird names brought over from the theater community, Eliot decided, and left it at that. They told to wait there until they were called up to the studio.

'Feel free to get to know one another, okay?' Kelly told them with a bouncy smile. 'Just don't get too friendly - after all, you're gonna be competing against each other for fifty thousand dollars today!' With that, she left, shutting the door behind her. Eliot took a seat where he could see the lone exit, and Parker eventually decided to take a seat next to him. The other contestants milled around a bit, a few taking advantage of the small table that held various snack foods and water bottles.

One of the women, a tall, willowy blonde, came over. She held her fuzzy grey dæmon in her arms; it looked like an over-grown dust bunny with eyes, and Eliot needed a second to realize that the dæmon was a chinchilla. The woman extended a free hand to Parker.

'Hi, I'm Barb Johansson,' she said, giving Parker a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Parker stared at her with a blank look on her face before Barb slowly lowered her hand, looking vaguely embarrassed.

'Sorry, Penny's not much of a people person,' Eliot said with a smile meant to mollify any hurt feelings.

'Oh.' Barb nodded absentmindedly, and then glanced at the lone clock on the wall. 'Well, let's hope that they don't keep us here too long; Robbie - that's my husband; he's over there, eating a doughnut- Robbie and I really want to get out there and try to win.'

'I think that's what most of the people on this show want to do,' Eliot said. 'If they didn't, there's not much point of being here, is there?'

'I guess not,' Barb replied. Eliot was saved from having to make any more small talk when the door opened and Kelly poked her head in, the bright smile she had been wearing earlier reasserting itself on her face.

'All right, everyone, it's time to go!' she said, pushing the door open the rest of the way. 'Come on; we'll stop by the restrooms before we go to the studio proper. Wouldn't want you to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of a task, now would we?'

There were a few nervous laughs from several of the other contestants, but they followed Kelly out, Eliot and Parker taking up the rear.

'Ready?' Eliot asked Parker, keeping his voice quiet.

'Yep,' Parker said, giving him a carefree smile. 'This is going to be easy.'

'_Don't get too cocky, guys._' Nate's voice came to them over the coms, along with the faint sound of other people talking in the background. '_Just because you've got experience doesn't mean that there won't be surprises. Stay sharp, and don't forget: if you need it, Hardison can help you._'

'_That's what I'm here for,_' Hardison affirmed, a smug tone to his voice. '_Just say the word, and I'll be your own personal DM._'

'Our _what_?' Eliot asked, sharing a mildly exasperated look with Parker before they were separated as they entered their respective bathrooms. Hardison needed to cut down a bit on the geek-talk sometimes, Eliot thought as he quickly took care of what he needed to and then left the bathroom, making sure to wash and dry his hands quickly and efficiently before rejoining the other contestants as they waited for their significant others to finish with their own personal ablutions.

'_Never mind. Just don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it,_' Hardison said, resuming the conversation. '_I'll be watching you from the studio's cams. Bas will be meeting up with you guys once you get out to the studio._'

'Good to know,' Eliot murmured as Parker rejoined him, followed by the last of the women. Once everyone was back in the group, Kelly led them down a few more twisting hallways and then finally out into the studio proper. It was larger than Eliot and Parker had expected; but then again, one could never get a sense of the proper size of TV studios when you only saw bits and pieces of them on the television screen. This one was about the size of a small warehouse, which made sense, as most of the tasks needed a lot of space to be set up and take place in.

'All right. Everyone, go line up over there,' Kelly said, gesturing to a spot near one of the bleacher-like seats that the studio audience were currently occupying. 'We'll call you up once we start rolling. I'll assign you your team colors now; Derrick -he's one of our main stage managers; you'll meet him in a sec- he'll give you your team shirts. We've got a variety of sizes, so just tell him what you need and we'll get it for you.

'Right, so- Rick and Jessie, you're Red Team.' Kelly pointed out a couple with a raven and a terrier dæmon, respectively; the woman looked nervous, while the man merely nodded and put an arm around his fiancé.

'Barb, Robbie, you're Yellow Team,' Kelly continued on. 'James, Marcie, you're Blue Team. Eli, Penny, you're Green Team. Dan, Opal, you're Purple Team. And finally, Mike and Sarah, you're Black Team. Everyone got that? If not, Derrick's got a list, so don't worry about it. Just wait for your cue. If you miss your cue, we can just do it again.' She smiled wryly. 'Unlike what you see on TV, it takes far more than an hour to get everything done. The tasks are timed the same- fifteen minutes for each; no more, no less, but everything else, though - the witty banter, the judging, all of that- it's not relegated to a strict time schedule.'

She paused, and then nodded. 'I think that's about it. You've already been given your interviews for the documentary show that's going to be following you- except Eli and Penny, of course, since you two are the ones filming us!- so that's taken care of. Just do your best to forget that the cameras are there, have fun, and most importantly, _Dare to Win_!' With a cheery smile and wave, Kelly shooed the contestants off towards where an assortment of bins full of variously colored t-shirts awaited them. A stocky man stood nearby, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, his only accessories a pair of sneakers, a clipboard, and a headset with a microphone attached to it.

'_You know, if that woman was any more cheery, I'd suspect someone was slipping her happy pills in her morning cup of coffee,_' Hardison commented, making Eliot smile briefly.

'_Cut the chatter, guys. We've got to focus here._'

'_Sorry, Nate._' Hardison dropped off the coms. The only sound that could be heard was the faint clatter of the hacker's keyboard as he finished setting up the last few lines of code that would allow him to spoof the video feed to the main control room. Parker and Eliot collected their shirts, slipping them on over the white t-shirts they'd been told to wear that day.

'You look good in green,' Parker commented idly as she stood fixing her hair, since it had been pulled half-way out of its customary ponytail. 'You should wear it more often.'

'I- um, thanks,' Eliot replied, flashing her a slightly confused smile. 'You look good too.'

To his complete surprise, Parker swiftly stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek before nonchalantly going over to talk to Bastian about something.

Eliot watched her go, momentarily thrown off-guard. Well, _that _was new. Parker voluntarily getting that close to someone, and then showing that level of affection? Either the thief trusted Eliot far more than he thought she did, or she was just playing her part _really_ well. A part of him- and it was a large part, Eliot realized with a start- hoped like hell it was the first option and not the second.

Then again, Parker had always been something of a mystery to him. As they'd worked together, he'd managed to learn a few things about her. She'd been in the foster care system; she had an unhealthy love for money, blowing things up, and throwing herself off tall buildings with only a rope and harness between her and an easy fall onto hard pavement. She liked to cheat at chess (when he could get her to play) by, when she couldn't think of any moves, "calling in the SWAT team" and sweeping all the pieces off of the board with one broad movement of her arm. There had been more than one time when Eliot had found a rook or a pawn in the mug of coffee he'd been drinking from while playing with her as a result of Parker's eccentricities, but he put up with it, mentally jotting it down in the ever-growing list of Parker's odd habits.

Shaking his head at the latest example of her oddness, Eliot stood where he was told to, leaning against a nearby post and watching Parker talk, an oddly peaceful mood settling over him, in spite of what was soon to come.

'All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to _Dare to Win_!'

The announcement rang out through the studio, the sound of the audience clapping following soon after. The contestants filed over to their pre-chosen spots along a line marked on the floor.

'Today is a very good day,' Dyton said, flashing a toothy grin at the crowd, and more importantly, the cameras. 'The sun is shining here in lovely Los Angeles, we've got six new couples ready to play our little game, and my co-host, the ever-lovely Shannon Zimmerman, has yet another gorgeous dress to show off to the world.'

Said co-host laughed, the bright noise sounding forced even to Parker's ears as it echoed throughout the large studio. 'Always a tease, Jonas. Still, I know I'm excited for today's games. It looks to be a fine day for a game show.'

'Indeed it does.' Eliot tried not to roll his eyes in boredom as Dyton introduced the couples, but managed to keep an impassive face.

'Our six couples are ready and raring to go, and I'm sure the rest of you want to see some action!' Dyton proclaimed at the end of his introductions, and on cue - quite literally, as there were large "Applause" signs lighting up above their heads - the crowd went wild, clapping and cheering.

'As always, we've separated our couples into color-coded teams. Our first task today, for those of you first-time watchers, will be testing the mental acuity of each of our teams.' Dyton continued on. 'They'll have to navigate the treacherous halls of the Labyrinth of Confusion, avoiding the various traps and pitfalls scattered throughout, as well as a few puzzles that need to be solved in order to continue on through the maze and on towards the ultimate goal of fifty thousand dollars.'

He turned to the contestants, most of whom looked anxious and ready to go. 'You've got fifteen minutes to get through the maze.' He reminded them. 'Everyone ready?'

The contestants let out cheers and affirmative yells, Eliot and Parker joining in a half-beat after the others. 'Great,' Dyton smiled. 'Then let's begin! Go get into position at the entrance marked with your color.'

Parker followed Eliot to their color-coded entrance, Bastian trailing along behind them.

'Ready… Set… Go!' Dyton announced.

With the sounds of clapping and cheering providing an odd soundtrack to their motions, the twelve contestants ran into the maze, doors automatically slamming shut and locking behind them. The inside of the maze was dim, lit haphazardly by blue-white safety lights, which provided just enough light to see by and little else.

'_How's it look in there, guys?_' Hardison asked as the duo of not-so-innocent game-players and their accompanying cameraman made their careful way through the first part of the maze.

'Darkish. Can't you see what's going on through the cameras in here?' Parker said, making sure to follow in Eliot's footsteps almost exactly.

'_Only the overheads,_' Hardison replied. '_The camera that Bastian has is mainly for show, remember? Anyways, it doesn't look like there's much to see at the moment, if what I can see from the overheads is any judge._'

'Good,' Eliot said, watching where he stepped. 'Hardison, they can't hear what we're saying, right?'

'_Right,_' Hardison said. '_That's one of the things about this task; it's supposed to be "soundproof ", even to the controllers. It's part of the draw of the task - this one's always purely visual, so that way, no one can cheat by getting inside information._'

'Except us, of course,' Parker said, and then frowned when she saw something ahead. 'Eliot, what's that? It looks like a room of some sort.'

'_It is. You guys have just stumbled across a puzzle room. It means you're going the right direction, by the way._'

'Any booby traps in the room we need to know about?'

'_Nope. The nearest one is down that corridor to the left, once you get into the room._' Hardison paused, and then let out a low laugh.

'Something funny?' Eliot asked as he, Parker, and Bastian entered the room.

'_Yeah. Whoever's on the Purple Team just triggered a trap. Bars on either side of them came from the floor and ceiling, which means they're in a cage, and can't continue on._'

'Good. Two less competitors to worry about,' Parker noted. She made her way across the room, examining the door on the far side. There was a tiled board set into it, with a slot for a single tile to slide out and fit into where the door knob would be on a regular door. A red tile sat blocked by several other colored tiles.

'Let me guess. We've got to get the red one out,' Eliot said.

'_You've got it._'

'_Parker, Eliot,_ _I want you to try this one on your own,_' Nate said over the coms. '_If you get stuck, Hardison can help, but only then. Got it?_'

'Yep,' Parker said, sounding distracted. She idly touched the red tile, muttering to herself and Rincalion. 'I think I know how to solve this.'

'_Really? 'Cause you've only got -_' Hardison began to say, but with a series of swift and economic hand movements, Parker solved the puzzle, moving the red square into its slot in seven moves.

'_Um. Nine moves,_' Hardison finished, sounding stunned. '_Good job._'

'Thanks,' Parker said as the door opened with a click. 'How long do we have left?'

'_Eight minutes. You might want to hurry._'

'It'd go faster if you lead us through. Nate?' Eliot asked, once again taking the lead.

'_Go ahead, Hardison. They have to get to the next task._'

'_Will do. Just listen to the sound of my voice, and all will be good._' Hardison commenced to guide his teammates through the rest of the maze, helping them with the second puzzle room they came across before they neared the end of the maze.

'_This is where I sign off, guys. See ya on the flip-side,_' Hardison informed them, and then went silent. Parker, Eliot, and Bastian hurried out of the exit with two minutes to spare. The audience clapped as they came out of the maze, joining the others who were waiting there; everyone save for the Purple Team and the Blue Team. A loud gong-like noise sounded when the allotted time for the task was over, signaling the end of the mental portion of the show.

'Well, it looks like the Labyrinth has claimed four more victims!' Dyton announced from his host's podium. 'We'll let our contestants take a short break, and then it's on to the second task of the day- the physical test. This should be good!'

Once again, the audience dissolved into cheers and applause, and then fell silent. The four remaining couples were herded back to the green room by a couple of stagehands, told to rest and relax for a little bit, and then were left alone.

Parker sized up the others, mentally gauging her opponents in an attempt to predict who might make it through to the final task. The thought that she and Eliot might not do so never entered her head; after all, they were running a con on these people, even if it was an odd sort of con, and it was a foregone conclusion that, in order for them to complete the job successfully, she and Eliot would be making it to the final task. Simple as that.

Following Eliot's example, Parker grabbed a water bottle and a granola bar, knowing that she'd need the hydration and energy for the tasks ahead. They sat down in the seats they'd been occupying before leaving the green room the first time, watching the others chatter amongst themselves.

'You doing okay?' Eliot asked after taking a slow sip from his water. No need to rush it; he didn't know how much time they had until the next task, but in the meantime, it was better not to chug down the water and then have to worry later about having a full bladder.

'Yeah,' Parker replied, idly stroking Rincalion's back. The small junco dæmon sat quite happily in Parker's hands, looking almost like a grey and black ball of fluff, but Eliot knew better. Rincalion was one of the most observant dæmons he'd ever met, a habit made to perhaps counterbalance Parker's blind spots.

'We should be able to get through the physical task easily enough,' Rincalion said, keeping his voice quiet so as not to be overheard. 'After all, that sort of thing – obstacle courses and whatnot- come easily to all of us, given our normal activities.'

'True enough,' Kyrael agreed, idly leaning against Eliot's legs. 'But like Nate said, we can't be too cocky and assume we'll breeze through whatever's in store for us.'

'Hmm.' Parker shrugged, her fingers falling still in their stroking of Rincalion. 'I guess we'll have to figure it out when we see it.'

'Don't we always?' Eliot grinned at the sound of Parker's soft laugh, leaning back in his chair. Even if they didn't win the final task (which he considered highly unlikely, but still, when had a con ever gone as smoothly as they'd planned it to?), he was still enjoying the time he got to spend with Parker. Maybe once this was done, he'd take her out to dinner, free from worry about having to act like someone he wasn't and just enjoy himself. Yeah, that'd be nice.

They sat in the green room for about forty-five minutes, just relaxing and watching the other contestants, occasionally taking drinks from their water bottles or eating their food. By the time Kelly appeared at the door, opening it with one of her patented smiles, Parker was curled up on her chair, leaning against Eliot, while Rincalion was settled on Kyrael's back, enjoying the warmth of his fellow dæmon.

'All right, time for our second task,' Kelly announced. 'Sorry it took so long; there were a few mechanical snafus, but we took care of them. Anyways, feel free to take another pit stop -that's S.O.P. before each task, sorry- and then we'll get started. Is everybody ready?'

There were assorted noises of affirmation and nods all around, and then Kelly let the contestants out of the room, guiding them back to the restrooms they'd used before starting the first task. As before, Eliot and Parker took care of what needed to be done and then followed Kelly and the others back out into the studio, where they were led over to an obstacle course.

Eliot was relieved to see that there were multiple paths that he and Kyrael could take without having to worry about any physical limitations. Even though Kyrael could jump far and climb relatively well, it was it was better not to have to worry about her getting stuck somewhere and then causing them to fail the task. Parker probably wouldn't have any trouble at all. For one thing, Rincalion could basically go anywhere, given that he could fly and fit through small spaces. Not to mention the fact that this sort of thing was Parker's bread and butter, so to speak.

'Welcome back, contestants!' Dyton said, giving them a bright grin, accompanied by an expansive arm gesture. 'I hope you're prepared to test your physical prowess in your next challenge. We'll be starting filming in five minutes. Prepare yourselves, and remember: have fun!'

His pre-task pep talk duties fulfilled, Dyton wandered off, disappearing for a moment before he came back into view. Parker and Eliot could see him talking with Nate and Sophie, the latter of which gave the two contestants a small wave when she caught sight of them looking her way. Eliot waved back with a slight smile, turning away before any of the other contestants got suspicious.

'Anything we need to know before the task starts?' Eliot muttered as Bastian rejoined them, his dæmon now laying casually across his shoulders.

'_Nah, it's all straightforward,_' Hardison replied. '_Should be easy as pie for you two. Just get through it as quickly as you can, and you should be good. Oh, and watch out for the others. It's gonna be a free-for-all once you start; no color-coded entrances or anything like that this time._'

'Got it, thanks.'

'_It's what I'm here for, bro._'

'Rolling in two.' One of the nearby cameramen announced, startling those nearby him.

'I can't follow you guys across the course,' Bastian told Parker and Eliot with an apologetic smile. 'Rules of the game and everything, not to mention I'm not all that athletic. I'll be on the sidelines for this one.'

'No problem,' Parker said as she bounced lightly on her toes, relaxing her muscles in preparation for what was likely going to be a mad dash over, around, and across the obstacles. 'We'll be fine.'

'Well, good luck, then.' Bastian moved off to join some of the other camera crew, striking up a conversation with one who had a mobile camera much like his own.

'Thirty seconds, Mr. Dyton!' Kelly called out, catching Dyton's attention. He ended his conversation with Nate and Sophie and then rejoined his co-host, who was standing in her position at the host's podium. A nearby makeup artist quickly adjusted Dyton's makeup and then scurried off as the countdown to filming began.

'Welcome back to _Dare to Win_!' Dyton said as he was given his cue. ' I'm sad to say that two of the six couples who joined us today at the beginning of the show have left us. However, the four remaining couples are chomping at the bit to complete their next task, the Crash Course, which is designed to test their physical prowess. Let's get this party started!'

He turned towards the obstacle course and the waiting contestants. 'Ready… Set… Go!'

There was a mad dash towards the obstacle course as the contestants took off, their dæmons following close behind them. Parker started running with a whoop of joy, quickly disappearing out of sight as she scrambled over the first of the obstacles in her path. Eliot followed close behind, knowing that Parker could take care of herself and therefore not bothering to keep too much of a close eye on her. Besides, he had Hardison to watch out for her, and the hacker was keeping up a near-constant stream of comments through the coms. He sounded delighted that Parker was, in his words, "smoking the rest of the competition", and couldn't hold back his laughter when Barb, the woman who had been attempted to talk to Parker earlier that day, tripped and fell, nearly squishing her dæmon in the process and causing a small pile-up with her husband and another of the contestants.

Eliot ignored them, focusing only on the path before him and Kyrael. The two worked together seamlessly, Kyrael keeping pace with Eliot effortlessly. The end of the course was in sight only a few minutes later, and Eliot could see Parker waiting there with a broad smile on her face. She was laughing and chatting with Rincalion, who was flitting about her head, occasionally swooping in and tugging at a piece of Parker's hair, which had managed to escape its captivity in her ponytail once more.

With the end in sight, Eliot and Kyrael poured on the speed, vaulting over one last waist-high barrier before running across the finish line with far more than enough time to spare. They slowed down, Eliot panting slightly as he tried to regulate his breathing. Parker handed him a water bottle that was deliciously cool while Rincalion flew a loop around Eliot and settled on Kyrael's head.

'That was _fun_!' Parker said, bouncing a bit as she spoke.

'_You do stuff like that every day, Parker,_' Hardison said dryly, and Eliot could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

'He's got a point, you know.' Eliot said, taking a much-needed drink of his water.

'Yeah, but I don't do it against other people.' Parker grinned, and then jumped a bit as the gong signaling the end of the round rang out once more. 'They really need to warn us before that happens,' she muttered.

'And that's the end of Round Two!' Dyton announced. 'It seems that due to that unfortunate pileup early on, we'll be saying goodbye to the Yellow Team. Thanks for playing, you two. As always, we're going to let the contestants take a brief break, and then it's on to the third round of the show - the task that'll be testing the strength of your teamwork.'

'The time's just flying by today, isn't it?' Dyton's co-host bubbled. 'We're almost to the final task. Do you think we'll finally get our first grand-prize winner today, Jonas?'

'It's entirely possible, Shannon. After all, this is Los Angeles, where dreams come true on a daily basis.' Dyton and Shannon laughed, the false sound echoing as the remaining three couples were once more shepherded off to the green room. The wait wasn't as long this time around, for which Eliot and Parker were quite thankful. The sooner they could get finished with this show- which would thankfully never air, becoming one of the show's "lost episodes"- the sooner they could go home and relax, having done yet another good deed disguised in thievery and trickery.

The sight that met them when they entered the studio for the third time was impressive. A wide and long pool filled four feet deep with what could charitably be called slime lay before them, with three identical sets of six two-foot long planks stacked at its edge. The slime was a pale blue and viscous liquid, guaranteed to dye one's skin temporarily upon contact. Each of the sets of boards was color coded to match those teams who had made it this far.

'Let me guess. We've got to get across that.' Eliot said dryly.

'_Yep,_' Hardison replied. '_It's easy enough. Make a bridge with those planks - they connect together- and then cross. Be careful when you do that, though. That goop will temporarily dye your skin a lovely shade of blue, so unless you wanna come out looking like Papa Smurf, I'd suggest you don't fall in._'

'We'll try not to, thanks.'

'_It would be funny as hell, though._' Hardison snickered. '_I for one would _love_ to get pictures of-_'

'_That's enough, Hardison,_' Nate said. '_They need to focus on what they're doing._'

'And now, my fellow viewers, it's time for the third task of the day, our teamwork round!' Dyton announced as the cameras and main spotlights turned on. 'The task is simple enough: cross the Radioactive River without getting wet. However, we've made it a little trickier by removing the bridge that each team needs to get across. Not to worry, though, because they'll have the chance to rebuild those bridges- if they work together. Let's see how they do, shall we? Contestants! On your marks, get set, go!'

There was a more subdued scramble at the beginning of this task than the previous one as the remaining teams made their way to their assigned piles. Eliot and Parker looked over the tiles, noting that they interlocked with one another at each end.

'So, what, we just have to put them together, then?' Parker said. 'Easy enough.'

'Yeah, but the hard part will be getting across. This doesn't look like it'll be all that stable once we get it together.' Eliot replied as they started to put the bridge back together.

'At least it'll be wide enough to walk on.' Kyrael said, eying the bridge that was rapidly coming together. 'You're lucky, Rin. You can fly.'

Once Parker and Eliot finished assembling the bridge, they then had the problem of getting across the river itself. Following Hardison's hurried instructions, they carefully swung it out and over the river, holding their breaths until the bridge touched down on the other side.

'All right, Ky and me will go first, and then you follow.' Eliot told Parker. 'That way, we'll know if it'll hold your weight.'

'Good luck,' Parker said, giving him a short hug before moving away. Eliot smiled at her, and then carefully stepped on the bridge, Kyrael following after him. The bridge wobbled dangerously, but Eliot and Kyrael made it across. With a sigh of relief, Eliot stepped away from the end of the bridge and turned to watch Parker make her crossing. The petite thief slowly stepped onto the bridge, keeping her steps as light as she could.

She was doing well until about two thirds of the way across. The bridge began to wobble dangerously once more, and an anxious feeling began to settle in Eliot's stomach as he watched. Kyrael picked up on Eliot's emotions, the tip of her tail twitching back and forth as she leaned against Eliot in support. With only a few feet to go, the bridge's wobbles grew greater, and then Parker made a move Eliot hadn't been expecting.

With a few quick and graceful steps, Parker threw herself into a cartwheel that then turned into a leap towards Eliot. He braced himself just in time to catch her, carefully hauling her up out of the way just in time to hear rather than see the bridge get sucked down into the blue goo it had so precariously been suspended over.

'Whoa! You okay, darlin'?' He asked, setting Parker on her feet.

'Huh? Yeah, I'm good,' Parker said happily. 'That was fun. We should do this more often.'

Eliot laughed, drawing Parker into a quick hug. 'Maybe when we get home, we can go to one of those amusement parks or something.' He told her.

'_Okay, Parker? That was seriously cool,_' Hardison said over the coms. '_Good job, by the way. You've made it to the final round. The Black Team managed to fall in two minutes in._'

Eliot and Parker turned to see that what Hardison had said was true. The two members of the Black Team were currently sitting on the sidelines, their skin dyed a pale blue.

'_That's going to wash off, right?_' Sophie asked, sounding both amused and concerned at the same time. '_I mean, they've got to go back to work tomorrow, and I doubt they'd want to go in looking like that._'

'_It'll take two, maybe three hot showers tops to get it off,_' Hardison informed the grifter. '_It's not permanent, and should fade pretty soon once they wash themselves._'

'_Oh, good. Though you were right, Hardison. The color does kind of remind me of the Smurfs._'

'What're Smurfs?' Parker asked as the gong sounded overhead.

'They're from a kid's show that was made in the Eighties,' Eliot said with a quick smile. 'I didn't watch it that much. I was more into _Jonny Quest_, if it was on.'

'Oh. Okay. I'm guessing they were blue, then?'

'Blue and really tiny.'

'Weird.' She shook her head, and Eliot just had to ask.

'What sort of cartoons did you watch when you were a kid that make the Smurfs were seem weird?'

Parker shrugged. 'I liked _Scooby Doo_. I still do, in fact.'

Eliot laughed, walking with one arm around Parker's waist on their way back to the green room, Kyrael and Rincalion following along beside them. The Black Team were escorted off in a different direction, and Eliot could only assume that they were being taken to some sort of locker room that had showers in it. Or at least, that was what he hoped was happening.

The mood in the green room was subdued, to say the least. Rick and Jessie, the members of Red Team, sat on one of the couches ranged around the room, curled up close together with their dæmons, talking in low voices as Jessie nervously picked at one of the remaining muffins left over from the snack table. Eliot and Parker just listened to Hardison, Nate, and Sophie talking over the coms, drinking from some fresh water bottles and generally enjoying one another's presence as they sat on their couch, facing the door.

Kelly brought them back out after about a half hour, during which Eliot had guided Parker through some gentle stretches designed to maximize flexibility and strength. Rick and Jessie had even joined in, not wanting to pass up anything that might help them get ahead in the game.

The contestants reentered the main studio for the last time. They were led over to two large, clear cubes that were raised about ten feet off the ground via strong cables attached to the studio's ceiling far above; not too high for it to be too unsafe, as there were safety nets under them, but high enough to provide a clear visual of the task for the audience. The cubes were filled with ropes, nets, and various other obstacles hanging freely from the ceiling, with a large box in the exact center of the ceiling, which was surrounded by netting that held it up. The bottom of the cubes were open to the air, thus the need for the safety nets. Bastian stood nearby, his camera at the ready as he waited for the task to begin.

'All right, folks!' Dyton announced, the biggest grin he'd sported yet that day making its appearance on his face. 'It's time for the final task of the day. I've got to say, I'm excited about this one. What about you, Shannon?'

'I can't wait to see how it goes, Jonas.' Shannon replied. 'It looks like we might just find our first grand prize winner today.'

'We just might,' Dyton said. 'Of course, that depends on whether or not one of our two remaining couples manages to outlast the other and finish the task.'

'Very true.'

'_I think you're going to like this one, Parker,_' Hardison said over the coms as Dyton and his co-host chatted back and forth. '_It should be right up your alley. The objective of the task is to get the key that's in that box hanging from the roof of your cube. You can't fall, and Eliot can't help you physically. He can only give you some directions. Oh, and be careful - some of the nets and ropes aren't attached all that well and will fall; it's part of the game. Once you get the key out of the box, you can just drop; you won't be penalized for that._'

'_Be careful, Parker._' Nate said. '_Don't rush this, and remember, listen to Eliot and Hardison._'

'Don't worry; we'll be fine.' Parker murmured as Dyton finished explaining the task to the audience, and by extension, the contestants. Four stagehands wheeled over two sets of stairs, one to each cube, and then two left, their co-workers staying behind and opening a door set into each of the cubes.

'Okay, couples! The person with the smallest dæmon will be going into the Cube of Calamity, which means Penny from the Green Team and Rick from the Red Team will be ascending those stairs in just a minute. Penny, Rick, please get into position,' Dyton instructed. Parker and Rick moved forwards, Rick's fiancé giving him an encouraging smile as the man and his dæmon ascended the stairs.

Parker was excited about the task, and her enthusiasm showed as she nearly skipped up the steps to where one of the stagehands was waiting. The stagehands each gave Parker and Rick a Swiss Army Knife attached to a loop of string, which the two contestants were told to put around their necks, as this was the only tool they were allowed to use in the task. There was a small platform just inside the doors of the cubes that Rick and Parker were told to stand on, and then the doors were closed behind them.

'Eli, Jessie, you can only give your partners advice from where you're standing. You can't move from behind that line,' Dyton told the two ground-bound contestants. 'If you cross the line, you have to sit out the task, thereby leaving your partner on their own. Is that understood?'

Eliot and Jessie nodded, and Dyton gave an approving smile. 'Well, it looks like everyone's ready. Let's get this started. On the count of: Three! Two! One! Begin!'

Amid the noise of the crowd's cheers and applause, Parker and Rick began their journeys to the center of the cubes, Eliot and Jessie calling out to them with what little advice they could give. Eliot could hear Hardison muttering to himself as he tried to bring up the plans for the Cubes, and then swearing sharply.

'_Something wrong, Hardison?_' Sophie asked.

'_Hell, yeah,_' Hardison replied, sounding both frustrated and slightly panicked. '_I can't find the final blueprints for those things._'

'_What?_' Nate said, his voice tight and low.

'_I'm workin' on it, but there's not much to find,_' Hardison said. '_Either they were deleted off the server, or they were never there. I wouldn't put it past Dyton not to have shared all of the details of the final task on the main server. Anyone could've seen them if they knew where to look. The other final blueprints were easy enough to find, but not this one.'_

'_Damn. It looks like Parker's going to have to do this on her own,_' Sophie said, and Eliot could just see her out of the corner of his eye as she turned to Nate, a worried expression on her face.

'_I'll be fine; don't worry about it. Eliot, I need your help right now,_' Parker said, and Eliot looked up to see the thief currently clinging to a net, Rincalion darting through a trio of ropes hanging a foot away.

'How can I help?' he asked, keeping his voice low.

'_I've got three ropes here. All look sturdy, but it'd help if I had an extra set of eyes. Which looks better to you?_'

'Go to your left!' Eliot called out after a moment's deliberation with Kyrael. ' Farthest left, Penny!'

Parker nodded and reached out to the rope, keeping one leg hooked around the net, just in case. It seemed sturdy enough, and it was definitely on her way to the center of the cube. After a few judicious yanks, Parker transferred her whole weight to the rope. It held her just long enough for her to move to a nearby ring, and then fell away. Parker hadn't quite made the transfer when the rope fell, and she had to quickly grab onto the ring as the rope descended. She ended up hanging upside down by her legs and one hand, but it was oddly to her advantage as she was now in range to reach a nearby rope that hung next to the large box suspended by the webbing. She took hold of the rope, reaching up so that she was upright once again before letting go of the ring.

There was a sudden gasp from the crowd that made Eliot look over at the other cube, where Rick was hanging precariously from a rope a few feet away from the center of the cube. His dæmon was darting all about him, trying to figure out a way for him to go, but it was no use. With an inappropriately delicate noise, the rope slid free of its moorings and Rick went flailing down to the safety net, bouncing once before rolling to a stop, the rope falling on top of him.

'_Parker, hurry. You can't win unless you get that key,_' Sophie said urgently. Parker responded by reaching out to the netting that surrounded the cube, hooking one foot and arm into it while using her other hand to retrieve the knife that hung around her neck, her remaining leg still wrapped around the rope she was holding onto. With a few strategic cuts, Parker had made an opening large enough for her to reach in and move the box close enough for her to get to the lock. It was a simple one, easy enough to pick with the other attachments on the knife, but Parker ignored it in favor of simply unscrewing the bottom hinge of the clasp that held the lock on the box and opening it that way. The key lay in the bottom of the box, and Parker swiftly grabbed it and then untangled herself from the mesh, sliding down the rope with practiced ease and then letting go a few feet above the safety net before bouncing and rolling her way to solid ground.

The crowd exploded into wild applause and cheers as Parker held up the key, a bright grin on her face. With a quick glance at Dyton, who seemed momentarily dumbfounded that his supposedly unbeatable final task had, in fact, been beaten, Eliot stepped past the line marked on the floor and made his way to Parker. She turned at his approach, laughing in triumph.

'I did it!' she said, running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. On impulse, Eliot kissed Parker soundly on the mouth, eliciting even more cheers from the crowd and a stunned '_What the hell?_' from Hardison over the coms before Dyton and Shannon came over to congratulate them. Eliot let Parker go, trying to hide the flash of worry that he felt at his impromptu actions with a smile as they turned to Dyton and Shannon.

'Congratulations, Eli and Penny!' Shannon said, her voice as bubbly as ever. 'You're our first grand prize winners. I've got to know - what're you going to do with the money?'

Eliot exchanged looks with Parker, who thankfully didn't seem all too put off by the kiss they'd shared, and then Eliot said with a smile, 'I'm sure we'll think of something. Maybe a nice dinner to celebrate, for starters.'

'That sounds wonderful,' Dyton said, though his smile was starting to look strained- or rather, far more forced than usual. 'Well, folks, there you have it. Our first grand prize winners, Eli and Penny. Congratulations, you two. And to the rest of the players who were with us today, we want to thank you for participating in our show. Remember folks, you can win too, if you _Dare to Win_!'

The audience broke into applause once more as the signs flashed, and then the cameras and bright stage lights shut off, signaling the end of the episode's filming. Talking excitedly amongst themselves, the audience began to file out of the studio. They'd signed non-disclosure agreements so that the results of the episode they'd seen wouldn't leak out to the press (though since it would never air, thanks to the Leverage team, this little detail meant that it would just become the stuff of online rumors and bar-room talk), but that didn't mean they couldn't be excited about what they'd just seen. Nate, Sophie, and Hardison slipped away in the milling crowd, while Parker and Eliot made their escape as quickly as possible, meeting Hardison and Bastian outside in the parking lot.

Beyond a quick greeting, Hardison didn't speak to either Parker or Eliot the entire trip back to the offices, but Bastian more than made up for it with a continual and enthusiastic stream of chatter. Eliot was glad of the friendly cameraman's distraction; he knew that Hardison had more than a little crush on Parker, and sincerely hoped that the hacker wouldn't be too pissed off with him. While he found him annoying at times, Eliot honestly liked Hardison, thinking of him as the younger brother he'd never really had.

Sophie and Nate were waiting for them back at the offices; the two of them were in the conference room, talking quietly with one another. Bastian said his goodbyes and then left once Nate told him that his money would be in his account by the following morning. Eliot noticed that Hardison had slipped away to his office, locking the door behind him, and Sophie had distracted Parker and taken her to the break room, leaving just Nate and Eliot in the conference room.

Eliot took a seat at the end of the table, leaning back in the chair and waiting for Nate to speak. The older man stayed quiet for a few minutes, idly playing with the fedora he'd been wearing that day, before looking up at Eliot and speaking.

'If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, or cause her to leave this team, there won't be anywhere on the face of this earth you can hide,' Nate said, his voice dangerously soft. 'I will hunt you down myself and then make sure that you will be sitting in a dark, dank hole for a _very _long time. Do you understand me?'

'Don't worry; I won't-'

'No, you won't.'

With that, Nate got up from his seat, Liandra following alongside him. He left, closing the door behind him. Eliot sighed, running a hand over his face. A wave of fatigue passed over him, but he forced it away, knowing that he'd far rather sleep in a real bed than crash at the office. Besides, he knew he needed a shower, especially after all that had happened today. Eliot got to his feet, wondering if he should go find Parker and see if what he hoped was there between them actually was, and then made up his mind.

'Let's go find them, Ky,' he said, and Kyrael nodded, getting to her feet.

'I hope this works out.'

'Me too, Ky; me, too.'

They didn't get very far before having to pass Hardison's office. The hacker was waiting for them, blocking their way down the hall with his arms crossed over his chest.

'Don't mess this up,' was all he said before disappearing back into his office, the door shutting behind him. A few seconds later, Eliot could hear the loud electronic sounds of techno music coming through the door, mixing with the sounds of what seemed to be a particularly violent video game. Somehow, Hardison's warning was far more menacing to Eliot than Nate's had been, even though it had been so brief. With a shake of his head, Eliot continued on to where he thought Parker would be.

His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Sophie stepping out of the break room. She paused when she saw him coming towards her, and then moved to intercept him before he could reach his goal. Eliot stopped, sighing softly as he wondered what Sophie had to say.

She didn't disappoint him, coming to a halt in front of him and giving him a slight smile.

'I wondered when this would happen,' she said, surprising him. 'Just be careful, all right? Parker's well… Parker. She doesn't exactly see the world like everyone else. Take it slow, and I think you'll be fine.'

'Like you and Nate?' Eliot asked with a wry smile. To his surprise, Sophie blushed and then gave him a quick hug.

'Good luck,' she said before hurrying off. Eliot couldn't suppress the soft chuckle that escaped him, shaking his head as he continued on. Well, _that _should turn out to be interesting. He paused before entering the break room, collecting himself and steadying his nerves before heading in. _This is ridiculous_. He thought as he walked through the door. _I've faced - and killed- the Butcher of Kiev with an _appetizer_, and somehow I'm far more worried about whether or not Parker's going to go to dinner with me._

His worries were unfounded, though, as Parker greeted him with a smile when she caught sight of him.

'Did you mean it?' she asked, catching him off guard.

'Mean what?' he replied cautiously.

'What you said about going to dinner,' Parker got to her feet, closing the short distance between them. 'When the co-host woman asked you what we were going to do with the money we won.'

Eliot blinked, relieved that she didn't seem mad about the kiss. 'Yeah, I did. I do want to take you to dinner, Parker, but as us, no pretending or conning involved. Maybe tonight, if you want to,' he said, running a hand unconsciously through his hair, which was hanging loose around his face. He'd had it up all day in a ponytail, and it felt good to let it be down once more.

'Okay.'

'Okay? You mean-'

Parker rolled her eyes. 'Yes, I mean I want to go to dinner with you, Eliot Spencer,' she said. 'But first, I need a shower.' She wrinkled her nose in irritation. 'It'd probably be a good idea, since I've been in the same clothes all day.'

Eliot laughed. 'I know what you mean. Tell you what; why don't we go home and get changed, and then I'll pick you up around eight. There's a Greek place that I know of that serves some really good dolmades, among other things.'

'What're dolmades?' she asked.

'Stuffed grape leaves,' Eliot told her.

Parker considered this for a moment, and then nodded. 'That sounds interesting.'

She gave him a quick hug, and then left the room, Rincalion flying after her. Eliot smiled, glad that, for right now, anyways, the world seemed to be a far better place than it had been that morning. He left the offices, heading out to his truck and then to home, unconsciously humming along to a song that was just ending on the radio as he drove.

It was with an anxious air that Ian Keaton returned to the Leverage offices three weeks after his initial visit, his greyhound dæmon Kitali striding alongside him. Nate had called and asked Ian to come back to the offices, saying that there was something he needed to show his client. Ian had come right away from his home in Pasadena, going as fast as he could without breaking the speed limits and dealing with traffic. Ian and Kitali entered the offices to be greeted by Nate and Sophie at the entryway.

'You said there was something I needed to see?' Ian asked, figuring that it would be best to get to the heart of the matter right away and not wait any longer than he had to.

'Right this way, Ian,' Nate said, giving him only a small smile before leading the way to the conference room, where the rest of the team waited. Hardison was leaning against one of the walls, while Parker and Eliot were sitting next to one another at the table, talking quietly with one another. They looked up when Ian and the others came in, Parker waving briefly at Ian. The motion was accompanied by a slight smile, which Ian nervously returned.

'Have a seat, Ian,' Sophie said as the rest of the team found their seats, Hardison dimming the lights and turning the monitors on to an online news site with a few commands typed into his wireless keyboard.

'This was posted just this morning,' Hardison said with a smile in his voice. 'I think you'll get a kick out of it; I know I did.'

He navigated to a specific video and then hit play. The video took a moment to fully buffer, and then started.

'And in other news, one of the rising stars in local entertainment, Dyton Media, has suddenly crashed and burned. Lori Tanner is on site with more information. Lori?' the anchor said, his attention focusing on a small screen off to one side. The view switched over to a young woman with a lion dæmon, his mane neatly groomed and shining slightly in the bright California sun.

'Thanks, Bill. I'm here outside what used to be the main studios for Dyton Media, best known for producing the seemingly unwinnable game show, _Dare to Win_. Early this morning, we received word that Dyton Media has declared bankruptcy and has shut its doors. Its parent company, Persephone Communications, has said that all those who worked there before Dyton Media went under are more than welcome to return to work. However, Jonas Dyton, the CEO and namesake of Dyton Media, has not been offered his former position. He was unavailable for comment, and by all accounts, hasn't been seen in the past three days. We can only speculate as to where he might be at this time,' Lori reported, keeping her expression appropriately serious. 'The police are investigating, as there have been some strong rumors that Dyton knew his company was on the verge of going under and left town before it finally tanked.'

The view switched back to the main anchor, who nodded. 'Thanks, Lori,' he said, directing his gaze straight into the main camera. 'We'll keep you updated as the story progresses. Now, over to Todd in sports.'

The video stopped before the camera could switch over to the sports announcer, and Hardison brought the lights back up.

'Dyton won't be working in the game show business for a long time, Ian,' Nate said.

'I don't know what to say,' Ian replied, astounded. 'I'm not sure I even want to know how this happened.'

'Sometimes, it's better not to know,' Eliot said. 'This way, Dyton's out of a job, but no one else is.'

'That's more than I could've ever asked for,' Ian said. 'I don't know how I'll ever repay you.'

'Don't worry about it,' Sophie said with an enigmatic smile. 'Our compensation comes from an alternate revenue stream.'

'And we had a lot of fun doing this, too,' Parker said.

Ian looked around at them, a thankful smile on his face. 'You know, I used to think that there weren't many good people left in this world. You've proved me wrong, all of you.' He paused, and then gave a slightly rueful laugh. 'I guess something good did come out of me getting fired,' he mused. 'I've finally got the time to get my surgery. It's scheduled for next week.'

'Congratulations, man,' Hardison said with a grin.

'Funny thing, though,' Ian said as he got to his feet, Kitali following her human's example. 'The insurance company called me a couple of days ago to tell me that the remaining cost of the surgery and post-op physical therapy that wouldn't be covered by my policy was paid in full. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?'

The Leverage team exchanged looks.

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' Nate replied, rising from his chair. 'Why don't you head on home and just relax?'

'I think I'll finally be able to do that, now that this is all over,' Ian said with a smile. 'Thank you.'

'Don't worry about it. It's what we do,' Sophie told him, and Ian nodded.

The team watched as Ian made his way out of the offices, his confident bearing a far cry from the hesitant and nervous man that had first come into their lives. Seeing the differences they made in peoples' lives, even if they were just relatively small changes, reminded all of them just why they did what they did. The fact that they could use their talents for the good of others, rather than their own benefits, made every job just that much more worthwhile. And that made all the difference in the world.


End file.
